Soho and City Grill Chef Moves Into Covent Garden With Detroit-Style Pizza

Chef Neil Rankin has confirmed that his third restaurant will open on 14 May on Mercer Walk in Covent Garden. Like his other two, it will be called Temper; unlike the other two in Soho and the City, which serve tacos and Indian-inspired dishes, respectively, this site will focus on Detroit-style deep dish and thin-based pizzas, cured meats, ragus, vermouths, and cocktails on tap.

Both styles of pizza are American-inspired: The first, rectangular “Detroit pizza” is fitted with baked focaccia-like deep base and cheese crust. Toppings will range from the goat ragu Detroit red top (slow cooked goat ragu with goat salami and burnt pepper pesto) to the soft shell crab Detroit (bisque and tomato base with whole soft shell crabs, onions, green chilli and brown crab sour cream.)

The other option is the “Bar pizza” — with what the chef says is a “cracker-like thin base.” Rankin will top these pizzas with premium ingredients, such as Wagyu salami (cured wagyu with provolone cheese crust, mozzarella and San Marzano tomato base) and the “white clam” (provolone cheese crust with mozzarella, clams, red onion and samphire).

Alongside the pizzas, slow-cooked ragus will always feature on the menu: either using game, goat and pork, all served with fresh bread or gnocchi. Rankin-style meaty pastas will include beef fat and pesto tortellini (rendered aged beef fat and pesto stuffed pasta with anchovies and parmesan) will sit, a little incongruously, alongside a variety of vegetarian and vegan options (because it’s 2018.)

Also because it is 2018, there will be vermouths. Brands such as Cocchi, Lillet, Belsazar, Regal Rose and Asterly Bros. will feature on a menu that wants to “demonstrate vermouth’s versatility with its range of sweet and dry vermouth — served straight to allow the flavours to speak for themselves.” Italian aperitivo-style cocktails will also “celebrate vermouth,” — including a dedicated Spritzer and Americano lists alongside a “unique” Negroni menu. Vermouths and Aperol Spritz will be sold on tap.